The PGA Tour schedule is going to look much, much different sooner than later, and Tiger Woods knows it might take some getting used to for all involved.
The Tour, under new CEO Brian Rolapp, has promised change since the former NFL executive took over. Rolapp insisted the Tour’s top players would play together as often as possible, and as Harris English noted recently, that means some significant changes to the schedule are coming.
Woods is directly involved in those discussions. Rolapp appointed Woods to chair the Future Competition Committee, and speaking in a press conference at the Hero World Challenge on Dec. 3, Woods acknowledged things are going to look different with a shorter schedule likely on tap, as soon as 2027. He also admitted that it might be unsettling, especially for players.
“The scarcity thing is something that I know scares a lot of people, but I think that if you have scarcity at a certain level, it will be better because it will drive more eyes because there will be less time,” Woods explained to reporters, per a transcript of his presser.
Tiger Woods Acknowledges PGA Tour Schedule Likely to See Massive Change
Woods didn’t reveal any specifics regarding changes to the schedule, but it’s clear that anything and everything is on the table. English made clear the slate would have fewer tournaments and the season likely would start later. Presumably, that’s a direct move to avoid the NFL, something Woods essentially confirmed.
“We’re trying to figure out what is the best schedule possible so we can create the best fields and have the most viewership and also the most fan involvement and what does that look like. A lot of that, as you know, that’s one of the reasons why we quit playing in September and October and even early November back when I was playing in my early days at the Tour Championship, there’s this thing with the shield that’s out there that’s influential.”
Woods said there have been a few meetings already for the committee, and there has been constant communication among Tour leadership, the committee, players, tournament executives and media partners. It sounds like conversations include tearing it down to the studs.
“We started with a blank slate … So you take a white sheet of paper and you start throwing ideas out there, and there’s like a thousand ideas on this board,” Woods explained. ” … Yes, there’s going to be some eggs that are spilled and crushed but — and broken, but I think that in the end, we’re going to have a product that is far better than what we have now for everyone involved.”
What Will New PGA Tour Schedule Look Like?
As far as actual details, there’s certainly no rush for the Tour to put out its 2027 schedule before the 2026 season has even begun. Golf Digest’s Joel Beall, however, recently reported the basic 20-event framework under which the Tour seems to be operating regarding 2027.
“The initial idea would be for the season to start in late February,” Beall wrote, alluding to English’s remarks and citing sources. “Going off historical calendars, that eliminates both Hawaiian events and a chunk of the West Coast swing.
” … The WM Phoenix Open, Genesis Invitational aren’t going anywhere, which means one or two Florida events — at PGA National Resort and Innisbrook — would be cut to accommodate those West Coast visits.”
In addition, Beall reported the majors wouldn’t count as part of the 20-event Tour schedule, and one other significant change would be bye weeks following the four major tournaments.
However, while those 20 events (plus the majors) are the priority, Beall also noted there could be a “beefed-up Korn Ferry Tour” that further emphasizes a “two-tiered system” for the Tour’s top players and the rungs below them.
As Woods himself noted, there’s still plenty of inventory.
“But don’t forget the golfing year is long,” he said in his presser. “So there’s other opportunities and other places around the world or other places to play that can be created and have events. So there’s a scarcity side of it that’s not as scary as people might think.”
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